A wireless LAN terminal tends to use widely. The wireless LAN terminal is a wireless terminal equipped with a wireless LAN interface. For example, a game machine is a kind of the wireless LAN terminal. The game machine can realize a competitive game via a communication network (for example, the Internet). Further, the game machine can download game software by using the communication network.
When the wireless LAN terminal is connected with the network, an access point or a router provided with an access point function is usually used. The access point has a function to connect the wireless LAN terminal with a lower network (for example, a wired LAN). The router provided with the access point function has a function to connect the wireless LAN terminal with a upper network (for example, the Internet).
The access point is connected with a wireless LAN terminal by wireless. This causes a problem, for example, a problem of unauthorized use of the access point. For the purpose of preventing the problem, the access point is usually provided with a security function (filtering, encryption and the like).
For example, using a filter list, a filtering function can restrict the wireless LAN terminal which is allowed to be connected to the access point. The filter list is a list in which a unique ID (Identification) (for example, MAC (Media Access Control) address) of the wireless LAN terminal whose connection is allowed is registered. The filtering function does not permit connection between the access point and a wireless LAN terminal whose the unique ID is not registered in the filter list. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10 (1998)-271154 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 3082686 disclose such technologies.
By the way, in recent years, a portable communication device (for example, mobile phone) provided with the wireless LAN access point function has been proposed.
Such the portable communication device can connect the wireless LAN terminal with the network such as the Internet in a desired place. Therefore, it is assumed that such the communication device is used in various opportunities.
For example, it is assumed that a portable wireless LAN terminal (a mobile PC equipped with the wireless LAN interface, a portable game machine equipped with the wireless LAN interface and the like) is connected with the Internet at an outside location by means of its own access point function. It is also assumed that, when the access point installed in an office is out of order, the access point function of the mobile phone is temporarily used as a substitute for the access point of the office.
The access point function of the portable communication, device has the security function including filtering and encryption similarly to the usual access point function. Accordingly, when connecting the wireless LAN terminal, which is not registered in advance, with the portable communication device, a task (setting task) that a user changes a setting of the security function on the portable communication device is necessary.
However, the setting task includes a task of looking up a MAC address of the wireless LAN terminal to be connected and a task of adding the MAC address into the filter list. Those tasks require expert knowledge. Accordingly, it is difficult for a general user to use the access point function of the mobile phone easily.
In recent years, various technologies to simplify the setting task of connecting the access point with the wireless LAN terminal are proposed. For example, in a setting system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-135874, when a wireless LAN terminal is set in a cradle having charging and communication functions, various kinds of communication control information necessary for wireless LAN communication is transmitted automatically to the wireless LAN terminal.
However, in the setting system of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-135874, even if the setting task is simplified, the prior setting task of setting the wireless LAN terminal into the cradle is necessary. Accordingly, the setting system of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-135874 has a problem that the setting system cannot be used in unexpected or urgent cases.